03 May GAHBA member weighs in on City of Atlanta Tree Protection Ordinance

Van Hardimon, the inner-Atlanta chapter president of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, said builders worry about “not having a voice in the rewrite.”

Hardimon, who as a builder focuses on mid-range homes in the city, said builders often get bogged down in red tape or get sidelined by residents who appeal during permitting. He said the rewrite of the ordinance may make it difficult and more expensive to build homes. This would thwart the city’s goal to build more affordable housing, a pressing issue in which longtime residents, often black, are getting priced out of the city.

Hardimon, who is black, said the more affluent the neighborhood, the more builders get pushback from residents about cutting down trees. “In some neighborhoods (where he works), people are just glad to see something happening,” he said.